Edgar Allan Poe

But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke onlyThat one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.Nothing farther then he uttered—not a feather then he fluttered—Till I scarcely more than muttered “Other friends have flown before—On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.”

Then the bird said “Nevermore.”

Poet, journalist, novelist and editor, Edgar Allan Poe was a main figure of the American Romanticism movement and the paradigm of the tormented writer of the XIX Century.

He was born in Boston, in 1809, in a family of actors. His father left the family and his mother died shortly after, so he was cared for by John Allan and his wife. Due to his problematic character, he started and abandoned different careers and had endless troubles with his foster father due to his debts (most of them from gambling).

His literary career started in 1827 with the publishing of Tamerlane and Other Poems. He kept writing and specialised in supernatural short tales that have become his most legendary legacy and a cornerstone of the Gothic Horror genre. His most famous poem, The Raven, was published in 1845 and became an instant success. Stories like The Black Cat, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Murders on the Rue Morgue or The Mask of the Red Death, just to mention a few, have become part of the popular culture and been adapted and paid homage in all imaginable ways.

In 1849, he was found wandering the streets of Baltimore, in a complete state of delirium. He died a few days later and the cause of his death has never been clear.

For our bust we have taken inspiration in several daguerreotypes from the writer and we present him with the iconic raven of his immortal poem.